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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 4565484, member: 81887&quot;][ATTACH=full]1130483[/ATTACH] </p><p>Parthian Kingdom.&nbsp; Margiana or Aria.&nbsp; AE drachm.&nbsp; Vardanes I (?)(c.40-45 AD).&nbsp; Obverse: Bust left, short beard curved on back side, before face star and crescent (?).&nbsp; Reverse: Archer seated right, below bow mintmark (resembles pi), uncertain two-line legend behind.&nbsp; Cf. Sellwood 64.37, Koch Group 5.&nbsp; This coin: Frank S. Robinson Auction 112, lot 130 (2020) (sold as &quot;Sanabares&quot;).</p><p><br /></p><p>Vardanes I and Gotarzes II were brothers from different mothers, though both were legitimate offspring of their father Artabanos II (or IV, by the most recent research). Artabanos died in 38 AD. Details of the succession are unclear, but it appears Gotarzes may have taken the throne briefly, only to be overthrown. Gotarzes tried to reclaim the throne, aided by Dahae and Hyrkaneian nomads, but the brothers were temporarily reconciled and agreed that Vardanes could retain the throne, while Gotarzes withdrew to Hyrkaneia (a region southeast of the Caspian Sea). Vardanes went on to crush a rebellion in Seleukia (which is its own fascinating story for another time). History records that Gotarzes eventually rebelled, and the rebels were defeated by Vardanes, but Vardanes was then assassinated during a hunting party, leaving Gotarzes to claim the throne in 45. However, dates on the tetradrachms (which bore month as well as year) seem to indicate that both kings issued coins at the same time from Seleukia-on-the-Tigris for a period of over a year, starting in January of 44. Perhaps the two kings shared the throne for a while, and this was left out of the official histories? At any rate, Vardanes exits both the historical and numismatic record in 45, leaving Gotarzes II sole occupant of the throne.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin was sold as a coin of Sanabares, a rebel who issued coinage from the easternmost part of the Parthian realms around the mid-1st century AD, and may have set up a local dynasty.&nbsp; Indeed, this piece is clearly related to the Sanabares coinage, but my research has convinced me that it is in fact from slightly earlier.&nbsp; There is a series of crude bronze drachms issued by several Parthian kings in the easternmost regions (mostly Margiana) which are described in some detail in Heidemarie Koch&#039;s &quot;A Hoard of Coins from Eastern Parthia&quot;, and which pop up intermittently in Sellwood&#039;s catalogue if you look carefully.&nbsp; When I saw this coin, the details of this portrait (especially the distinctive short beard with the rear part rounded off) immediately made me suspect it was a coin of Vardanes I.&nbsp; While there are a few details that seem to differ from the published type, I believe it is indeed an AE drachm of Vardanes I from the eastern regions.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Koch and Sellwood both describe a crescent and a star (formed of six dots) in front of the face.&nbsp; There is clearly something in front of the face on my coin, though it is not clear due to wear and the edge of the coin.&nbsp; The mintmark below the archer&#039;s bow is given in Koch as pi above lambda.&nbsp; While there is a&nbsp; clear pi-shape under the bow on my piece, there is nothing immediately beneath it except the archer&#039;s leg, though there seems to be something potentially lambda-shaped to the bottom left of the pi, which is unfortunately off the flan.&nbsp; Koch describes the legend on the reverse as &quot;illegible&quot;, and all the specimens shown have the legend behind the archer off the flan; Sellwood simply states &quot;legend ?&quot;.&nbsp; On my specimen there are clearly two lines of legend behind the archer, which unfortunately I can&#039;t make any sense of.&nbsp; Sellwood gives the mint as Aria, while Koch states &quot;Margiana (or Aria?)&quot;.&nbsp; Therefore, I believe my piece should be classified as a coin of Vardanes I, struck in Margiana or Aria, possibly an unpublished variant.</p><p><br /></p><p>I think this reinforce the idea that you should always check the attribution of the coins you buy, even when they are from reputable and knowledgeable sellers.&nbsp; Frank Robinson has decades of experience, and knows a lot about Parthian coins, but even he doesn&#039;t have time to track down every obscure coin variety.&nbsp; I always try to check the attribution of every coin I buy, even when it comes fully attributed, as even the best sellers can make mistakes.&nbsp; Please post whatever is related.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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